Breaking Point
by haveyouseenmyhaggis
Summary: Time is splintering. The world as we know it is changing, and the 21st century wasn't ready. X-Over between Star Trek 2009, Transformers and Torchwood concerning disappearing children and a sadistic scheme putting pushing everyone to breaking point.
1. USS Enterprise

**Title: Breaking Point**

**Summary: Time is splintering. The world as we know it is changing, and the 21st century wasn't ready. A cross-over between Star Trek 2009, Transformers and Torchwood concerning disappearing children and a sadistic scheme. Spirits are tested to the limit to the point where time isn't the only thing breaking.**

**Author's Note: This is basically what it says on the time. I really hope you enjoy this! Reviews are love! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Star Trek 2009, Torchwood _or _Transformers._**

* * *

_Time is splintering. Its very fabric is fraying and different worlds are colliding; different time periods are crashing together with such force that gaps in their boundaries are being created. Things we thought were definite no longer are. The world as we know it is changing, and the 21st century wasn't ready…_

"Strange reports have been coming in regarding strange sightings across the world. In Tokyo, London and New York vehicles have been reported missing in the night after a scattering of apparent earthquakes. Strange lightening storms have been seen in the skies over San Francisco, Edinburgh and Amsterdam. Worldwide reports are flooding in about road accidents, unexplained disappearances, un-forecast storms and strange lights…"

Major William Lennox stopped watching the news then. Sighing, he turned off the television as he got up off the sofa, heading into the kitchen and placing his half drunk mug of coffee on the worktop. In less than five hours he had to be back in a plane on the way to some top-secret destination and he hadn't slept well that night. There'd been some discussion the previous day as to whether the odd interferences were related in some way to the Autobots. Lennox himself wasn't sure and Ironhide whom stayed with him most of the time was uncertain too but he knew _something_ strange was going on – something out of this world and not in the good sense.

"Sarah, baby, I've gotta go," he said as his wife walked into the room holding a young two-year-old girl in her arms. He smiled slightly and took the little girl from his wife, hugging her tightly. "I'll be home in a week or so. They said this excursion shouldn't take too long," he told Sarah trying to remain positive. It hurt every time he had to walk away and leave his beautiful girls behind but his job demanded it - perhaps now more than ever. The only thing was, he had no idea what he was fighting this time.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles across the Atlantic Ocean in Cardiff, Wales the day's events were taking a turn into the abnormal – even for Torchwood Institute and that was saying something.

"Jack!" Toshiko Sato cried out without looking away from her computer screen in front of her. "You need to see this!"

Captain Jack Harkness was by her side in an instant asking, "What is it?"

"Something's entered the atmosphere. Fast," Toshiko explained urgently, zooming into one particular screen with a blinking radar registering a vessel of some sort approaching Cardiff Bay at an alarming rate.

Owen, Gwen and Ianto appeared by the screen too and frowned in unison. "Does that thing actually have any control over itself or is it just going very, very fast?" Owen wanted to know, raising an eyebrow incredulously as he watched the velocity level rising on a bar beside the radar.

"I can't tell," Toshiko admitted, "I'm sending them a message now to find out."

"How long until impact?" Ianto asked seriously.

"Judging by their speed and approximate size… Minutes," Toshiko said wincing slightly. No sooner had the words left her mouth than Jack turned tail and hurtled towards the sliding door that led out into the tourist office. He sprinted down the pier and pulled his gun out of the inside pocket of his coat. He aimed into the air and fired a few shots in quick succession and immediately people began to turn to face him with alarm and panic written on their faces. "Go!" Jack yelled, "Get outta here!"

Screams filled the air as people started to clear the area, startled by the gunshots. Moments later, the rest of the Torchwood team showed up beside their Captain and looked up to the sky. Toshiko was clutching a handheld scanner and tracking the progress of the vessel that was heading rapidly towards the bay.

In an instant, a small white shuttle splashed into the bay sending a ripple of water over the ground towards their feet. Jack and the team hurried towards the edge and peered into the water curiously and apprehensively.

"Looked like an emergency escape shuttle," Gwen remarked quietly. To their surprise, the vessel began to rise slowly up towards the surface of the water again. Through the murky water they could make out the words _"U.S.S Enterprise" _written on the side of the white panelling.

"They've evidently got power if they've managed to stabilise after a fall like that," Jack noted with a small frown as the vessel began to emerge over the surface of the water sending little trickles falling down the glistening sides of it.

"But something must be wrong before they crashed in the first place," Owen countered, "And there's bound to be people on board."

"Tosh, send them a message now. See if they need help," Jack ordered. The young Japanese woman nodded and was immediately tapping at the PDA device. Owen turned around and began clearing the area again of the few people who'd started gathering. He shouted at them, insisting they leave. "Nothing here to see, guys." Just then, the police turned up and Jack groaned. While Gwen watched the shuttle approach the side of the bay slowly, Jack turned to the officer who'd just got out of the vehicle, "Sorry, training!" he said smiling sweetly and apologetically, "I forgot to warn you."

After a few exchanged words and a furious muttering of "Bloody Torchwood" the officer had left impatiently. The Captain turned back to the team and rolled his eyes and joined Gwen by the water's edge again.

After a few moments the front window opened up and two figures became visible. The one on the left had sandy brown hair and was seemingly unconscious. The other man had pale skin, dark hair and pointed ears. He observed Jack and his team carefully for a moment before saying, "Do you speak English?"

"Yes," Jack nodded slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the man. "Do you need help?"

"That would be acceptable," the newcomer said sincerely. He unfastened the safety harness around himself and his unconscious companion and slowly lifted the man in his arms. Balancing carefully he handed him to Jack before stepping on to the bay himself. "I am Commander Spock. This is my Captain, James Kirk."


	2. Before It's Too Late

**Author's Note: Heck yeah! An update! Enjoy everyone! And remember, if you review, I'll love you for absolute ever! **

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Lennox sat with his hands looped through the bottom of the steering wheel but it wasn't necessary; the black pick-up truck knew exactly where it was going without his direction. It was times like this when he was glad to have an Autobot for a car because it meant he didn't need to concentrate on the road. He looked out of the windo distractedly and sighed. He was uncertain what exactly it was he was heading into - he never was in his job. He didn't know if he'd see his wife and daughter again and that thought scared him. Taking a deep breath, he mentally shook himself and tried to focus. "It's gonna be a long one, Ironhide," he said.

"That could be true," the Autobot replied evenly.

The Major leaned back in his seat and smiled slightly they vehicle pulled into NEST headquarters in Diego Garcia. "Well here we go, Ironhide! Lets roll."

"I can sense it," Ironhide told him soberly, "Something's happening."

"Tell me about it," Lennox sighed, pushing open the driver's door and jumping out. "Catch ya later buddy," he said as he patted the sleek bonnet of the vehicle and walked towards the NEST building where he was greeted by a strained looking Chairman Morshower.

"Major Lennox."

"Sir," Lennox acknowledged, saluting formally.

"I'm glad you're here, Major," Morshower said to Lennox as they strode briskly and purposefully into the main building side by side. "Things have gotten much, much worse."

"How so?" Lennox queried, his heart sinking slightly thinking about the range of disasters that "worse" could cover.

"More disappearances. More unexplained deaths across the country. However we do think we have located the root of the problem," the Chairman informed him as they walked into the boardroom where the rest of the Major's team were waiting for him.

"Oh?"

"Torchwood Institute, Cardiff," Chairman Warshower said bitterly. "And we need their intell if we're going to find a way to fix this."

Lennox felt confusion building inside him then. "How do you know it's them?" he wanted to know, "I thought Torchwood were all for protecting humanity against alien threats?" To the Major, what he was hearing just didn't add up. He knew the basic facts about Torchwood Institute after reading a file about it on a classified database he'd found sometime before.

"That's what we all thought. Until a few hours ago. There was a lightening storm over Cardiff Bay that coincided with a strange Internet blog being updated refering to the fact a space shuttle landed in Cardiff Bay. I think they may know more about the current situation than they're letting on. And what's more it seems like they've been harbouring aliens. They claimed a shuttle crashing in to Cardiff Bay was a training excerise. I do not believe this is the case. They are either working with these aliens, or they've captured them."

"What do you want me to do, sir?" Lennox asked.

"Lennox, you're going to Wales."

* * *

"He'll be fine," Owen said nodding to himself as he put his stethoscope back in his pocket and stood back from the unconscious Star Fleet Captain lying on the medical bed. "Just out for the count. Nothing physically wrong with him."

"Tell me who you are," Commander Spock demanded as he stood at the edge of the room with his hands clasped behind his back, observing the situation stoically and evenly.

"Like I said, we're Torchwood," Jack said, standing beside Owen and looking at the two newcomers carefully.

"As in the British Torchwood Institute founded by Queen Victoria in 1879?" Spock asked raising an eyebrow slightly. "I was not aware the Institute still existed."

"Of course," Jack said, "We're just pretty well covered up. Outside the government. Beyond the police."

"Torchwood ended at the beginning of the twenty-first century," Spock countered with a raised eyebrow, "You cannot still exist."

There was an awkward silence following this statement. Owen and Jack glanced at each other and the young doctor raised his eyebrow incredulously,. "This _is _the beginning of the twenty-first century," he said carefully.

Spock hesitated before he spoke next. A flicker of confusion passed over his face but then he became perfectly stoic again, "I believe the Captain and I may have travelled further than we first intended."

"You're saying you're from the future then?" Owen asked dubiously.

"It would appear so," Spock nodded.

"So how did you end up here?" Jack wanted to know with a curious frown, "None of this makes much sense. There's been increased Rift activity over the last few days and no specific cause."

"Our ship was fired upon by what appeared to be some sort of non-biological life form," Spock informed them. "Do you know nothing of how we came to arrive here?"

"No," Jack said, "It's a mystery to us."

"As it is to the Captain and I. The ship was gassed after a few shots were fired. It was something we have never encountered before and we implemented a ship-wide evacuation but most of the human members of the crew were knocked unconscious and I am yet to hear any word from any of them," Spock explained, walking over to where Jim was lying peacefully on the bed. He looked at his Captain thoughtfully for a moment, "Then there was a remarkable lightening bolt in front of the shuttle fleet and after that, I found we had no control over our shuttle." The Commander seemed troubled and it was evident that not knowing what had caused this malfunction was getting to him.

"Well, with any luck we can try and find out what's going on with your help," Jack said with a small smile before turning and heading back into the main area of the Hub. "Lets just hope we figure this out before it's too late."


	3. Never Simple

**Author's Note: Enjoy!**

* * *

It hadn't taken them long to get prepared to leave. Several of the Autobots had been loaded into the plane and the NEST team had packed their equipment and gotten ready for take-off in a matter of twenty minutes. Some time later, Major Lennox sat in the C-17 aeroplane as he and the rest of his team flew over the Atlantic Ocean on the way to Cardiff, Wales. He wasn't sure how easy this task was going to be and he still wasn't convinced he was going after the right people. Torchwood had never been about destroying the world before so there was no evidence in his mind that would prove they were guilty.

"Approximately two hours until landing," came the voice over the comm. link in his ear. The journey had so far been uneventful with very little communication between Headquarters and the team on the plane.

"Received," he replied as he leaned back against the wall listening idly to the chatter of his squad. Their discussion ranged from the latest updates for the Autobots to the recent football scores – dipping from things that were only part of life to them, and things that were common to people the worldwide. That was the thing with NEST; at times it seemed so surreal but yet it was all part of the job for the team.

"What you been up to recently Sir?" Sergeant Robert Epps asked, dragging the Major into the conversation.

"Not much," Lennox replied simply, "Just been with the family mostly."

"How's the daughter?" Epps asked.

"She's beautiful," he smiled contentedly reflecting over the last few days he'd spent just going to the park for walks with Sarah and Annabelle, doing normal things like grocery shopping and having time to sit back and relax. "We-," he began before he was thrown forwards against his safety belt. Suddenly, sirens were blaring in his ears and he released the safety catch on his belt and jumped to his feet, "Pilot, report!"

"We've been hit. It's a Decepticon, Sir," came the pilot's voice, telling him exactly what he didn't want to hear.

"Status report," he pressed, hurrying to look out of the window, on guard for sign of oncoming attack. From hi position he couldn't see anything suspicious but he knew better than to believe the coast was clear.

"We're stabilising, Sir, nothing vital was struck down," the pilot told him briskly.

"Understood. Take us into the clouds. Push it, take us faster. Get us outta here," Lennox insisted as the team loaded their weapons and readied themselves for any attack. "Go!"

"We're trying, Sir."

"Do it," Lennox said firmly. Just then, he saw something out the corner of his eye flashing. He blinked and strained to see it out of the plane window. "We've got a bomb…"

"What?" came several alarmed cries from behind the Major as he squinted to gain what information he could. "Send out an Autobot. Deactivate it and get rid of it."

* * *

When Captain Jim Kirk woke up, he was not in a place he recognised and initially, he was slightly alarmed. He opened his eyes slowly and found himself lying on a medical bed in some dated medical bay. The equipment was old and in the contemporary style of the twenty-first century. He frowned and wondered how he'd ended up in a place that still used this sort of technology.

"Oh, you're awake," came a voice he didn't recognise. Kirk sat up quickly and immediately felt sick. He took a deep, steadying breath and watched as the man in the white lab coat walked towards him.

"Who are you?" the Captain demanded warily, trying to quash the queasy feeling that'd hit him as soon as he'd moved.

"Doctor Owen Harper," the man said casually, "And you're Captain James Kirk if I'm not mistaken?"

"No, you're not," Kirk confirmed, "But how do you know who I am?"

"You're Commander told us," Owen explained, "You weren't really in much of a state to do the talking." The doctor smiled cheerfully as he produced a small torch and shone it into Kirk's eyes checking their reaction was normal. "What do you remember about what happened?"

"Not much… Being gassed on the Bridge," Jim struggled to picture what had happened before he'd been knocked out. "It'll probably come back to me but who do you work for? And why are you using such primitive technology?"

"Primitive?" Owen scoffed, "This is state of the art kit, mate!"

"It's like the stuff they had in the twenty-first century!" Kirk raised an eyebrow incredulous that the doctor was defending tools that were so clearly outdated.

"This is the twenty-first century!" Owen retorted and then paused, "Oh. I forgot to warn you about that. Basically things might look a little different to how you're used to. My team and your Commander think you might have fallen through a gap in space time and fallen back in time."

Kirk blinked in shock and for a moment he didn't respond to what the Doctor said, "Where is Spock? And you didn't answer my question. Who are your team?"

"Torchwood," Owen said simply before heading towards the stairs, apparently about to go and fetch Kirk's colleague.

"This so can't be happening," Kirk groaned. Nothing was ever simple in his life.


	4. Out Cold

**Author's Note: This week has been a bit insane what with going back to school after my exams and all... But I finally found some time to write this! Enjoy everyone!**

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What happened next was completely unexpected by everyone concerned. At the time it didn't make much sense but nobody had much time to think about it. There was a vague hissing sound from somewhere behind Major Lennox and he turned around curiously. "What-?"  
He didn't get a chance to ask the question before Epps's eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed on the floor of the plane, landing sprawled over a kit bag. No sooner had this happened than the rest of the crew began to collapse to the ground too. Lennox suddenly felt a sharp burning feeling at the back of his throat and the world blurred slightly in front of him. He could see a small trickle of gas streaming into the plane approximately the place where the device he'd thought was a bomb had been fixed. He was aware of a smell of chemicals in the air and his heart began to thud in his chest. Acting instinctively, he covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and hurried to grab an oxygen mask from the emergency box attached to the wall. He gestured for the rest of the team to do likewise but it was too late for some of them. Those who could made for the emergency masks too, their faces turning red from trying not to breathe.

"Do you copy, Major Lennox?" came the pilots voice over the comm..

Holding his breath and fumbling slightly as blood began to pound in his head, he struggled to detach the mask. "Sir, do you copy?" Lennox felt his consciousness slipping quickly as he strapped the mask onto his face tightly trying not to dislodge his headset to communicate with the pilots.

"I copy," he said loudly, trying to speak clearly despite the fact his voice would be muffled considerably by the mask. "Are you okay?"

"Affirmative, Sir," the pilot confirmed, "What happened?"

"We've been gassed. It's not a bomb. Most of the rest of the team are down," Lennox informed the pilot, looking around and noting with a pang of annoyance and despair that nobody else in the NEST team had made it to the oxygen masks in time. "Get us to Cardiff as soon as you can. Is the Autobot's plane still functioning?"

"Affirmative. Whatever we were hit with isn't affecting them," the pilot confirmed.

"Very well. Send them a message. Let them know what's happened and make sure they're on their guard. We need to get landed as soon as we can. Over and out."

"Yes, Sir." Lennox heard the pilots acknowledgment and then set about trying to see if the rest of his team were okay. The gas in the air had begun to dissipate and that at least was a small relief. Crouching down beside Epps, Lennox pressed his fingers to the man's throat and quickly found a slow pulse. The Sergeant was alive at least. What damage the gas had done, he couldn't define yet. What concerned him more was the fact that he couldn't really see the reasoning in gassing the NEST team but leaving the Autobots unharmed. He didn't have time to think about it then though; he got to his feet and tried to help the team in what ways he could by ensuring they were all in safe positions if they were out cold. The last thing he needed was a casualty.

After that it seemed like a much longer journey than it actually was. The pilot had remained silent for the duration save for one update after a message from Chairman Morshower whom wanted to confirm they were alive and well after their attack from the Decepticons. This too was troubling Lennox. Why had the Decepticon – presumably Starscream – flown off after it had planted its gas bomb? Would it not have been more effective to simply shoot them out of the sky?

"Prepare for landing," came the statement after a while of silence.

"Understood," Lennox nodded, beginning to assemble his weapon. He still had his oxygen mask attached to his face and it was beginning to get uncomfortable. He felt the plane begin its descent and began to assemble his weapon. As soon as he was given clearance, he jumped out of the plane as the exit hatch opened for him.

With relief he pulled off the mask and took in his surroundings. He was standing in some sort of field on the outskirts of Cardiff city.

"Pilot," he said, "I want you to stay here and keep watch over the rest of the team. "I'm going to find Torchwood. Ironhide, Optimus, with me." The two Autobots – the black pickup truck that was Ironhide and the bright red and blue lorry that was Optimus Prime - rolled out of the other plane in their alternative forms.

"Are you well after the attack?" Optimus asked in concern as Ironhide shot his driver's door open to allow the Major inside.

"I'm fine. The rest of the team are down but the pilots are gonna look after them. We can't afford to delay any longer. Let's hit the road. Any ideas what it was though?"

"As yet none," Optimus replied as the Major shut the door and they began to drive off. "But we'll find out."

The road was simple route into the city but the scenery was remarkable. The Major watched the Welsh countryside flash passed him as they raced along. It was beautiful – there was no doubt about it. He sighed as he thought about the mission that was facing him now. It didn't take long before Cardiff Bay came into view. This was the known location of the Torchwood Three.

"This is it then, Ironhide," Lennox said quietly as the pickup truck skidded to a halt near the Millennium Centre uncaring about the rules of the road. He Major jumped out and was startled to see a man standing just in front of him on the pavement that had been completely empty the moment before.

"Hello handsome," the tall dark haired man in a blue greatcoat said with a cheeky grin, "I've been expecting you."


	5. I Suppose So

**Author's Note: Heck yeah! Another update! **

* * *

After announcement that his arrival had been expected, Lennox frowned slightly. As far as he'd been aware nobody had been aware of the movements of the NEST team besides NEST themselves. Their work was top secret and confidential – definitely not something they made known to any other organisations. "You have?" he inquired evenly.

"And I've always wanted to say that," the man in the greatcoat laughed slightly as he considered what had been said, "But yes. We knew you were coming. And I'm glad they sent you. They certainly know how to create interest." The man sent a cheerful wink in the Major's direction and Lennox raised his eyebrow and tried valiantly to remain professional in a situation that seemed to be heading into anywhere but professionalism.

After a moment of tense silence, Lennox eventually said, "So you're Torchwood?"

The man nodded once with a slightly amused smirk on his face, "Yes," he said, "Yes I am. Captain Jack Harkness." Stepping forward Jack extended a hand for Lennox to shake.

Taking the Captain's hand politely Lennox said, "Major Lennox, NEST."

"Yes, I know," Jack said with a smile that somewhat annoyed the young major.

"Really?" Lennox said incredulously, glancing at Optimus beside him, "Well, I'm guessing you know why we're here?"

"See, that's confusing us a little," Jack admitted carefully following the line of the Major's brief look at the vehicles he was standing beside. "I've come to believe you think my team are responsible for the recent events?"

"That's what I've been told to think," Lennox said calmly, "I'm still open to that conclusion. I'm here to take you back to America with NEST for further enquiry."

"What makes you think I'll agree to that," Jack challenged with a raised eyebrow and a sudden dark look on his face. "Torchwood is based in Cardiff. We're needed here. There are things happening that even we don't understand and they're happening here-."  
"Because of you?" Lennox asked. He wanted answers and if this man wasn't going to give them easily then he might need to resort to something else to get what he wanted. Again, he turned his gaze to the Autobot in its alternative form beside him and smiled slightly. He was pretty sure Optimus would be able to help him convincing the Captain to accompany them back to Diego Garcia.

"No," Jack shook his head with a steely look in his eye, "We've had no part in the events of the last few days but that doesn't mean we're not involved in the same way that you are – trying to find answers."

"I'm just following orders," Lennox said, "And you're going to come with me one way or another."

Before Jack had a chance to reply there was a sudden commotion from around the corner and two men ran out on to the bay; one of them wearing a yellow shirt and the other in black. They both seemed to be looking for something in the sky. Moments later, several members of the Torchwood team burst out on the bay after them, yelling loudly for them to stop.

"Gwen!" Jack called, darting towards the group of people, "What's going on?" As the Captain sprinted towards his colleague, Lennox hung back for a moment and spoke softly to Optimus, noting for a moment how out of place he looked sitting on Cardiff bay.

"What do you suggest we do?" he asked.

The Autobot's answer came immediately, "I suggest we show ourselves for what we really are and insist they return with us to Diego Garcia and if they don't comply, we can use force against them." It was along these lines that the Major himself had been thinking. He nodded to himself and sighed.

"There is something odd about this," Ironhide mentioned as Lennox followed the Captain towards the group of people now standing by the water. The two men in uniform were arguing fiercely about something while Jack and two of his team members tried to reason with them.

"What's going on?" Lennox demanded as Ironhide and Optimus crept slowly up behind him.

"These people are part of the problem," Jack snarled at Lennox, gesturing towards the two uniformed men. "They're from the future and we don't know how they got here yet, but you're saying we're to blame? I don't think so." The Captain watched the Major intently for his reaction but the next person to speak was the man in yellow.

"Look, I've made contact with one of my crewmembers," he said determinedly, his pale blue eyes looking almost desperate, "They're being held by Klingons under the order of some giant robot or something. I need to try and get to them as soon as I can." The young man seemed distressed but he was fierce in telling them what he wanted to do.

"It's not as easy as that," Jack insisted looking pained, "You've fallen back in time and-."

"What's a Klingon?" the woman, presumably Gwen whom Jack had called to earlier, asked with a frown creasing her brow.

"We don't belong here," the man in yellow insisted, "We need to get back."

"Jim," the other uniformed man said, "Maybe you should listen to them. We may need their help."

"Spock! There's some crazy alien robot kidnapping Star Fleet officers. We can't hang around here!" the man Lennox now understood to be called Jim said frantically, flushed slightly in anger.

Suddenly they were all startled when the black pickup truck and the lorry began to change. They began to tower upwards, parts folding in on themselves and some parts expanding outwards, restructuring into large robot forms.

Major Lennox could only smile in satisfaction as he watched this. Jack and the others however, hurried back in alarm. They're eyes seemed to widen as one as the Autobots towered over them.

"That's…" Jim began before forcing himself to look at Lennox, "You're the one who's been kidnapping Star Fleet vessels? It's you, isn't it?"  
Startled, Lennox shook his head quickly, "No! But we know who has been now. These guys are on our side."

"Will you come back with us if we help you?" Optimus Prime said, crouching down so he could look at Jim and Jack closely, his optics zooming in on them.

Jack hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Yes. I suppose so."


	6. Changing Course

**Author's Note: Here we go! :D **

* * *

After the Torchwood members had been rounded up and been convinced to get inside vehicles that had minds of their own, it didn't take very long for the group to get on the move. The sky was beginning to cloud over and a few drops of rain speckled the windscreens of Ironhide and Optimus Prime.

"So, you were attacked by aliens?" Lennox asked Captain Jim Kirk as they drove along the quiet road in the front seats of Ironhide. The Captain had been fairly quiet and reserved for the duration of the journey so far but he seemed happy to answer the Major's questions.

"That's not unusual for us," Jim shrugged, "But this species was unidentified. And we didn't have time to identify it before it gassed us all." The Starfleet Captain was more than a little about this clear violation of his ship. So far, he'd explained briefly about the fact he and Spock seemed to have fallen back in time.

"You were gassed?" Lennox queried, frowning slightly.

"Yes," Spock replied evenly from the back seat. The constantly calm tones of the Commander were beginning to unnerve Major Lennox. The man seemed to be verging on emotionless. It didn't seem natural to the Major.

When they pulled into the NEST landing point again, Lennox was relieved to see his crew back on their feet again, but looking drowsy. He quickly explained to Torchwood and the Starfleet officers that they'd experienced some form of gas attack on the way to Cardiff earlier on.

"Gives us something to work with then," Jack said, "Whoever was out to get you're lot, Major Lennox, was out to get StarFleet."

* * *

"Seven more children and young people across America have reportedly gone missing across the world this morning." General Morshower sighed loudly as he leaned back in his chair as the helicopter taking back to the Pentagon. He was watching the a new program on his laptop that was being broadcast around the world twenty-four hours a day on the television and online talking about the missing people, while he was writing up a letter to the President about the current situation and what they were doing to try and combat it.

The image of the olive-skinned newsreader disappeared and was replaced by several photographs of the missing people. The first photograph featured a dark haired teenager, grinning in a school photograph. "Scottish teenager, Bailey McKellar aged sixteen was reported missing in the early hours of the morning in San Diego. Police are clueless as to her whereabouts. The only evidence was a broken window in her bedroom, suggesting kidnap. Next, English fifteen year old, Mapeline Alycia Hood disappeared en route to her school in Los Angeles." T

he photo on screen changed again to show a young girl with light brown hair reaching just passed her shoulders. She was smiling contentedly at the camera, again in her latest school photo.

Morshower scowled down at the screen and groaned. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on but the situation was evidently getting worse. He listened absently to the lists of names and photos being shown on the screen as the plane touched down. He folded away his laptop with a groan and stored it in its bag. When he was given permission, he jumped out and made a run for the Pentagon entrance while he heard the C-17 landing behind him, carrying several of the Autobots he'd decided should return with him to help try and solve the case from a more active location.

"I knew something was wrong!" came a sudden snarl, evidently one of the Autobots. The General turned round abruptly and quickly recognised the speaker to be Sideswipe, in his alternative form of a Chevrolet Corvett. The Autobots had evidently been watching the same news reel. **"**I need to find her!" The Autobot appeared to be in some distress, flaring into action and bolting towards the was joined almost instantly by the blue Chevrolet Volt, that Autobot Jolt.

"Where are you going?" Morshower yelled as he ran after the pair, failing miserably to keep up – as he'd expected.

"To find Bailey!" Jolt said without pausing in his break for the exit.

"And Maple," Sideswipe added. Worshower could do nothing but stand and watch them leave. Quickly he fumbled in his pocket and grabbed his comm link. As he sped towards the door leading into the Pentagon building, he spoke into it with a grim edge in his voice, "Worshower here. Sideswipe and Jolt appear to have some involvement with two of the teenagers missing in California."

"Suggested course of action, Sir?" came the response almost instantly.

"Alert Lennox. Divert his flight back to the Pentagon rather than Deigo Garcia. We need NEST more mobilized in the States."

"Understood."


	7. Missing

**Author's Note: I made myself finish this before I went out cycling. Hope you enjoy it! **

* * *

"How far is it?" Jack wanted to know, more than a little impatient to get to his destination. He glanced around to the rest of his team whom were all watching him back trying to figure out what he wanted them to do.

"About half an hour now," Lennox replied simply, "Our course has been diverted back to the Pentagon. We need to be in a more accessible location in the USA."

Jack nodded but didn't say anything more so the passengers of the plane fell into silence again. The tension in the air was evident and it was clear that everyone was slightly awkward in the other's presence. They'd been flying for some time now and the NEST team were constantly on the lookout for a Decepticon attack. Next time, they might not be as fortunate; they could have come off a lot worse than being knocked unconscious.

After a while, Jim Kirk spoke up, "So, do you actually have any sort of plan?"

Lennox hesitated for a moment. "Not particularly," he admitted. "I was told that Torchwood was the root of the problem but it would appear that we were wrong. I am in no doubt however, that you can help us."

"We'll do our best," the young Welshman wearing a pristine suit said with a polite smile.

The Torchwood team were not the only people who were determined to try their best. Jolt and Sideswipe were tearing down the highway, accelerating to their limits. As guardians, it frightened and upset them to know their charges were missing and at risk.

As the afternoon faded to evening, the roads began to clog with rush-hour traffic and this just proved to be a frustration. The Autobots weaved deftly in and out of the traffic flow with the skill and precision no human driver could have mustered.

"We should go to our charges homes and trace them from there," Jolt said over the noise of racing vehicles.

"Yes," Sideswipe agreed, "Optimus will understand our actions. He knows about our involvement. He'll tell the General about our connection with Bailey and Maple."

"He will. Optimus will be sympathetic."

Whether their leader would be sympathetic of not, Jolt and Sideswipe weren't going to stop in the search for the two human girls they'd become so attached to.

When the planes finally landed back in the Pentagon landing area, the C-17 suddenly burst into action again. The Torchwood team, Kirk and Spock found themselves being escorted out by a convoy of soldiers all holding weapons across their bodies.

"Just a formality," Lennox assured them as the exit hatch folded down in front of them, allowing them to leave.

"If you say so," Jack rolled his eyes as they were led off the plane. General Morshower was standing in the middle of the tarmac with his hands clasped behind his back, looking sombre.

"What is it, sir?" Lennox asked urgently, frowning as he stood before the General. He saluted hastily and then waited impatiently for his senior officer to explain the situation.

"The situation has worsened. More humans have been kidnapped and from what it seems, some of them have connections to the Autobots. Sideswipe and Jolt have left in search of one Bailey McKellar and Maple Hood? Do these names mean anything to any of you?"

Lennox wracked his brains, trying to remember. To him, McKellar and Hood seemed to be completely random unknown names. He shrugged, "Never heard of them."

"I have," came the voice of Optimus Prime, loaded with age-old wisdom. Everyone turned to face the Autobot whom as standing to his full height, in his normal form. "Jolt and Sideswipe were assigned as their respective guardians two years ago. They have been supervising them from a distance.

"Why?" Lennox wanted to know.

"Major!" The call came from across the landing area and caught Lennox's attention before Optimus Prime had time to reply. He looked up and saw a young, sandy haired man in a Private's uniform hurrying towards him looking urgent and stressed. When he skidded to a halt he offered a sloppy salute, cheeks flushed slightly.

"What is it?" Lennox demanded, immediately feeling worried.

"More kidnappings," the Private told him, trying to catch his breath after having seemingly run through the whole building to find the Major. "Seventeen more children from across the world, seemingly at random."

"More?" Morshower exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise. The rest of the party remained silent and watched the exchange with a concerned interest.

There was a slight hesitation before the Private gave an answer. He looked at Lennox with a nervous and apologetic expression, "One of them was your daughter, Sir. Annabelle Lennox, I understand?"

The world seemed to jolt. Lennox blinked in shock and then came to his senses with a dull panicky ache in his chest, "What?"

"Three hours ago, your wife called the emergency services and reported a break in. She'd been knocked out, apparently, and your daughter was missing."


	8. Annabelle

**Author's Note: I'M SORRY LENNOX, I'M SORRY! **

* * *

In a bunker somewhere underground in America, "Mummy?" came a tentative whisper from the gloom of the holding room. It was evidently a very young child's voice and she was clearly scared, "Daddy! Mummy!" Then the howling started. Small terrified sobs filled the air and very soon the child's words were indistinguishable but everyone within earshot got the gist of what she was trying to say; she was desperate for her parents.

"Somebody shut that infant up," came a low bitter, furious voice from some speaker on the wall. "Humans. So weak. Growl, make it stop."

A series of mechanical clicks were heard as the laptop that was resting on a simple wooden table in the corner of the room transformed into an apparently robotic creature that would be closest described as an insect the size of a small cat. It's six legs scuttled across the floor towards the screaming toddler and suddenly there was a low, feral snarl emitting from the machine. The child began to cry yet harder in panic and terror.

"Leave her alone!" came a sudden yell from several voices from the other side of the room. Growl scuttled around and then suddenly made a charge towards the two teenagers chained to the wall at the other side of the room.

"Why would I listen to you, children?" he snarled viciously, his optics narrowing as he watched the pair suspiciously.

"She's three years old!" one of the girls said, green eyes wide and glittering in the gloom.

"Leave her!" the other girl said viciously, looking murderous.

"Well, you two shut her up then," Growl snarled angrily, scuttling to the chains binding both girls' wrists to the wall. Inserting a slim metal claw into the lock he deftly clicked it open before retreating through a hatch in the heavy metal door.

Both of the teenagers watched warily for a split second before hurrying to the other side of the room where the little girl was sobbing miserably. Through the gloom they could make out her straw blonde hair and her puffy eyes. Her lip was trembling and tears were constantly streaming down her cheeks. "Mommy?" she said tentatively.

"No…" the dark haired teenager said, "My name's Bailey."

"And I'm Maple," the other girl said. "Don't worry. We'll look after you." They were both prisoners too, and they had no idea why yet. Both girls tried to hold in their concern to help the little girl whom was sobbing hysterically.

"Where's Mummy? And Daddy?" the girl sniffled dejectedly.

"I'm not sure, but we'll make sure they find us," Bailey reassured her with a small smile as she helped the girl on to her knee, leaning against the wall. "What's your name?"

"Annabelle," she sniffed wrapping her arms around the teenager's neck while Maple settled beside them. "Why we here?" she asked miserably. "Who that?" she pointed to the laptop on the table fearfully.

"I dunno," Bailey admitted sadly.

"But we'll find out," Maple said smiling kindly.

"He like Hidey," Annabelle whispered. She looked hopefully up at Bailey and Maple, as if pleading them to tell her it was okay.

"Hidey?" Maple queried, curious.

"'Bot!" Annabelle smiled gleefully. "He work with Daddy."

"Maybe that's something we can work from," Bailey smiled, "What's your daddy's name?" When Annabelle looked blank and worried, the teen rephrased her question, "What's your last name?" she tried.

"Lennox," the girl replied tentatively. "You'll find Daddy?"

"We'll try," Bailey nodded hugging Annabelle tightly. "Once we find out who the hell we're fighting."

After a moment of silence and Annabelle crying quietly while Bailey stroked her hair soothingly, Maple offered to take her for a moment. "I'll look after her."

"Sure," Bailey agreed before jumping up and going to look through the hatch on the door. Just as she crouched down, she heard the other teenager start singing the chorus of an old Earth song that was still hugely popular, "I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly, it's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, 'cause everything is never as it seems when I fall asleep."

Bailey smiled, recognising the song and then the door collided sharply with her head as it was flung open. Startled, she scrambled backwards against the wall with stars flashing before her eyes.

She heard someone thrown into the room yelling and swearing. The door was suddenly slammed and through her confusing and the aching in her head, Bailey heard Maple say irritably, "Excuse me, I'm trying to let Annabelle go to sleep!"


	9. Ayden Lambert

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update!**

* * *

There was a moment's silence while the new stood up and dusted herself off, frowning irritably. She squinted slightly to see around the room as her eyes became accustomed to the gloom. "Jeez, you guys really need to call in a decorator!" she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she took in the dingy room covered in dust. "Or at least a cleaner. I mean, this place is disgusting!"

Bailey and Maple looked at each other for a moment and there were clearly others exchanging apprehensive looks around the room. Before anyone had a chance to say anything, however, the new girl flicked her long dark brown hair out of her face and carried on talking, "And have you guys ever heard of showers? You _stink_!"

At this, there was a general outcry from the group of prisoners – especially those who'd been there for quite a while. "You try being stuck here for ages on end!" someone snapped.

"Whatever," the girl shrugged, "Surely whoever's keeping you here should provide at least the most basic sanitary provisions!"

"We're being held here by robots," Bailey said quietly, looking annoyed.

"Or more, non-biological extraterrestrials. They're not exactly robots," Maple corrected her, still holding the toddler Annabelle tightly in her arms.

"True," Bailey agreed, "But anyway, they don't really have much need for sanitary provisions as you say."

"This is disgusting," the newcomer said in disgust. Looking annoyed and revolted, she walked around the room inspecting it all closely.

"Believe me," Bailey said, "We've all tried that. There's no way out of here. We're stuck." The teenager seemed upset but had come to understand this as a fact. Everyone in the room had.

"There has to be someone watching us in here, right? Is this some sick sort of reality show?" she demanded furiously.

"We don't know."

"I demand a lawyer!" the new girl snarled hotly, "Do they not know the Freedom of Citizens Act, Article 23, Section 4?"

"Probably not," Maple rolled her eyes, as she stroked the sniffling toddler's hair gently, trying to calm her down.

"Or at least the Rights of Prisoners Act? Article 27, Section 8!" the other girl tried.

"You wont get a response from anyone," Bailey told her.

A new voice spoke up from the corner of the room, "She's right. They never talk to us. The only time we've been spoken to was to tell those two to shut up the toddler."

"Well, I'll make them listen to me," the new girl snapped. "Oh, and I'm Ayden, by the way. Ayden Lambert."

"Bailey McKellar."

"Maple Hood."

"And I'm Annabelle," the toddler piped up tentatively. She looked at Ayden with big wide eyes and the pure hope in her eyes was heartbreaking to all onlookers. "You don't know where my Daddy is, do you?"

* * *

"The Rift is a crack in time and space," Jack Harkness was explaining to the group of people sitting in the boardroom. "We're thinking that's why Captain Kirk and Commander Spock have arrived here. Perhaps that's linked to the disappearances of these children?"

Major Lennox, whom was sitting with a laptop on the table in front of him carrying out search after search flinched slightly at the mention of the disappearances. "Maybe instead of discussing this, we should be doing something?"

"Like I said, Major, Sideswipe and Jolt are already out looking," General Morshower said firmly as he observed the other man. The Major's hair was out of place from endlessly running his hand through it in despair. It was one thing trying to find a missing person but it was another trying to find your own daughter. He was fidgeting and was obviously unhappy just sitting in the boardroom, understandably.

"I understand that, Sir," Lennox said irritably, forcing politeness into his voice. "But this is my daughter we're talking about."

"You must try and remain professional, Lennox. There re other people at risk here too. You will be little help if you're aimlessly roaming the country."  
"I know," Lennox sighed dejectedly before turning back to Jack, "Carry on."

"What I propose, is that we try and make further contact with the star ship _Enterprise _for Kirk," Jack said, "And that we track the actions of your…?"

"Autobots," Lennox filled in automatically. "They're called Autobots."

"Okay," Jack said, nodding. "And prepare them for battle."

"I think he could be right," Lennox said, "And we should track ever Decepticon movement over the last few days. Bring everything under close scrutiny. Analyse _everything._"

"Let's get going then," Morshower said as he stood up from the desk purposefully. "We need to figure this out before anything bad happens to those people who've disappeared."

"What if something bad already has?" Lennox snarled furiously as he left the room with Sergeant Epps. "What the hell am I meant to do then? I wasn't there to look after my little girl and now she's gone missing!"

"It's not your fault," Epps said patting the other man on the shoulder sympathetically, "We'll find her."  
"Yeah, but what if she's hurt? How am I meant to live with myself if my little girl is hurt? What if it's the Decepticons and she's been hurt because of me?"

"Don't think about that. Let's just do this," Epps said firmly. Lennox nodded slowly. This was his only option after all.


	10. San Diego

****

Author's Note: Oh how I love Study Leave when I have no exams to do anymore. Good times. Sorry for the shortness!

* * *

Jolt and Sideswipe slowly pulled up to the pavement outside Bailey McKellar's house in the peaceful San Diego suburbs. It had been an hour so of solid driving along the Californian coast since they'd driven past Maple Hood's Los Angles apartment and found her to be missing. There had been little evidence as to where she'd disappeared to but they had a feeling they knew who was behind the disappearance.

On the lamppost beside the pair, an A4 poster was fixed in a plastic wallet. In large red letters at the top of the poster, the words "MISSING!" were printed. Beneath that was a photograph of a dark haired, bespectacled girl with green eyes. She was smiling awkwardly in her school photo, looking slightly incredulous at something.

"As we thought," Jolt said slowly as he focused on the poster. "Bailey is definitely gone."

Quickly, the two Autobots scouted the area for any evidence. A yellow "Crime Scene" banner was fixed over the gate of the McKellar household and one of the windows was boarded up. Besides this there was nothing that would be in anyway helpful. However, Jolt and Sideswipe did not give in.

After a few more moments of searching, Jolt suddenly transformed out of his alterative form, crouching close to the road and gently touching the tarmac. "Sides. I found something!"

"What is it?" the other Autobot asked, rolling over quickly and transforming, not considering the humans who would be going around in their houses. They had no time to care about the possible frightened children – it was their own fault if they weren't in school when they should be, Sideswipe reckoned.

"Tracks. Skid marks there and just along here there's a dip in the road. It appears to have been caused by something other than a human. Decepticon?"

"Must be," Sideswipe agreed in a low voice. "Let's follow. The trail seems to go that way."

And so the two Autobot guardians set off again feeling slightly closer to their goal than they did.

* * *

"Sir!" a young cadet said as he hurried towards Major Lennox clutching a print out from his computer. "There was a sighting of an un-piloted plane near San Diego. This could be Starscream. This might also mean that the Decepticons are hiding around the San Diego area."

"Good work," Lennox said, nodding, "Get the Autobots rolling. We're heading to San Diego."

"Yes, sir," the cadet nodded, saluting and turning on his heel and hurrying to carry out his task. 

Meanwhile in another room, Toshiko Sato and Spock were hard at work trying to make contact with the _U.S.S Enterprise. _They were having very little luck though. The task was proving to be very difficult.

"The Rift is very active over Cardiff at the moment," Toshiko said as she typed in a series of co-ordinates into her hand-held computer.

"That would be logical," Spock replied, "Considering that is where we landed, it is likely that there is a higher level of activity there."

"Exactly," Toshiko agreed with a nod. "It appears the Rift is splitting though. There are world wide thunder and lightening storms that are not following normal weather patterns."

"Perhaps these are some form of wormhole in reality," Spock suggested, "Captain Kirk and myself are familiar with this. It is possible that these lightening storms are gateways between realities."

Toshiko looked at the Vulcan for a moment while she processed this information. She hadn't really considered this possibility and now that she did, it seemed incredibly likely. Maybe now they were going to make a revolutionary discovery about the Rift that would change their lives forever.


	11. Something

****

Author's Note: Yay! Update-ness!

* * *

The air was suddenly filled with desperate sobs as one of the young people in the prison cell burst into tears. He was a boy no older than eight and he suddenly seemed to have given up all thought of self-control. Ayden whom was still standing in the middle of the room blinked and walked over to him and crouched down saying, "Hey, kid." When the boy didn't respond beyond curling in to himself and sobbing still harder, Ayden carried on and said, "Don't worry. I'm going to bust you out of here."

Bailey McKellar stood up and walked tentatively over to the laptop sitting on the table which had been immobile for a long time now. Up until this point nobody had dared go near it but hearing the little boy getting so upset had changed everything, as had Ayden's arrival. The dark haired girl approached the table slowly, watching it closely for any changes or movement. Nothing happened. She took another step forward and then reached out carefully to touch it.

Just then, the laptop transformed once again into the small metalic creature that they'd seen before. Bailey gasped and took a step back before regaining her senses and making to grab it. Tactfully, she jumped on it when it lept of the desk and pinned it to the ground with her foot, careful not to break it.

"Someone, help!" Bailey said. "Has anyone got, I dunno, a brick?"

"Not a brick, but I do have a lighter," Ayden mused as she fumbled in her pocket, frantically searching while Bailey struggled to pin down the creature. Eventually she found her small blue lighter and hurried over to Bailey and crouched down so she could talk to the creature. "You let us go, or you burn."

"Like that was ever going to work," the laptop-creature snarled furiously. "I will not give in that easily."

"You quite sure about that?" Ayden challenged with a smirk as she flicked the lighter on.

"At least let us contact our friends," Bailey demanded, "We're entitled to contact, surely?"

"Who said?" the laptop-creature retorted. "You're under our rules here."

"Well, looks like you're going to die," Ayden said as she brought the lighter still closer.

Suddenly, the cell door burst open with a bang. A tall, balding man stood in the door way with a cruel smile on his face as he straightened his jacket and strode forward. "You are summoned to the scanning chambers."

"You what?" Ayden demanded, frowning. Bailey stood away from the laptop-creature and backed away slightly. Maple picked up Annabelle and held her tightly, looking on anxiously while the man walked forward slowly. He made to grab Bailey's arm but she ducked away and tried to avoid him. They were frightened and suspicious but it was never going to help if they let on that they were afraid.

"You heard me. Come with me," the man said in a deep, grating voice. With that, he pulled out a gun and fired a quick succession of shots at everyone in the room. "You _will _take part in the Decepticon scheme."

The prisoners had only time to realise they'd been hit by a dart of some sort before they passed out on the ground, unconscious.

* * *

It was dark outside. The teenager was slightly afraid but she knew she was better off here alone than at home where she would be an easy target. If she kept moving, she'd be safe. Movement was key. She crept carefully down the street keeping behind the tall hedges and avoiding streetlights where she would be highlighted to anyone who happened to be watching. She knew what she was looking for. There was a building just down the street and this was where people had been taken. She'd seen a van drive into there earlier and a girl being taken out swearing and quoting the law.

Carly was not going to let that happen to her.

Peering through the hedges, she didn't notice the boy standing right in front of her until she walked straight into him. She gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth to stop herself screaming and drawing attention to herself.

"Don't worry!" the boy said, stepping back from her and looking just as alarmed as she did, "I'm not going to do anything!"

"Who are you?" Carly demanded.

"Sam," he said, breathing quicker than normal, still surprised at meeting someone else. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"Whatever," Carly shrugged, "What are you doing here?"

"Same reason you are, I suppose," Sam said with a shrug, "I'm trying not to get caught."

"Aren't we all?" the girl laughed slightly, "Why are you a target?"

"I... I know Autobots. I've... um, you could say, been involved in a lot of fights... What about you?"

"I have an Autobot guardian... He told me to run for it," Carly admitted. She sighed and pulled her coat tighter around her against the chill of the night air. "But I can't just ignore the fact people are being kidnapped. I've got to do something."

"What?"

"I'm not sure yet..."


	12. Cleansing

****

Author's Note: And now I really have to make dinner, but enjoy this! :)

* * *

The afternoon had turned in to evening and Carly and Sam were still sitting outside in the chill. They had been watching the same building for some time now, wondering at what was going on inside. They knew, of course, that this was the building they needed to find out about but it was this part that was proving difficult. Nothing at all had happened in the past few hours and it was beginning to get frustrating.

"Should we get closer? Carly mused aloud.

"No way," Sam replied, shaking his head forcefully, "We can't get too close – they'll have cameras everywhere if this is where they're operating from." And he was right. There was no chance that they could get passed the cameras undetected. They'd need some sort of technology to destroy or shield the cameras. This was going to take more stealth than that.

Although nothing was happening outside, there was certainly activity inside – at least from the Decepticons. Megatron crouched in a large domed room with computers set up around it. The walls were bare and the room had a cold, eerie feel. There were a series of chambers along the north wall with clear plastic windows leading into them. Each of the prisoners had been put in a chamber and linked up to the computers via wires.

"It's working," came the low voice of Megatron as he examined the readings being brought up by the computers telling them that the atmosphere in the chambers was stable and suitable for their needs.

"Can we start the cleansing process?" the small balding man that had sedated the young people earlier on.

"Yes," Megatron commanded, "The humans must be clean." The man nodded and walked towards the control panel that was facing the cells. He typed in a quick series of codes. On the computer screen, the words "Cleansing commencing," flashed up ominously.

All though unconscious upon entering the chambers, every hostage was shocked into a state of awareness again. The cleansing process felt something like being electrocuted. The computer seemed to be sending pulses through their bodies, burning as it went.

The pain was excruciating and the air was soon filled with sobs and screams. Every hostage felt the same sharp pain that soon made it hard to think.

It went on like that for some time. In some distant part of her mind, Bailey heard the words "Cleansing seventy percent complete. Initiate blood wipe." The young girl only had to wait a few seconds of wonder before she felt something stabbing into her right upper arm. She winced as she felt the area throbbing as blood was squeezed out of her and forced back in through another syringe. She felt every nerve in her body tingling and willing it to stop.

"Cleansing eight-fiver percent complete. Initiate mind purification."

Suddenly, everything went white. The odd thing was, the teenager could still hear everything. She just couldn't see, feel or move. All she had to go by now was confused sounds and sentences – all of which were terrifying. Bailey hated not being able to see. Loss of sight made her instantly afraid, but what she was hearing made it worse.

"The humans are read," came the voice of the balding man with the gun. "Their minds are vacant. Extraction can proceed." Now, what the hell did that mean? Extraction? As in, to remove something? But what?

"Enable probes," came a low almost mechanical growl.

"Enabled, master," the man said.

"Details of Subject One?" the mechanical voice demanded.

"Discardable – no direct contact with Autobots or NEST." This chilled her. Bailey was suddenly very, very afraid. They were going to be murdered here. They were going to die. She had never been so scared in her life. She was going to die alone without her friends or even being able to see what was killing her. She couldn't even fight back at all.

"Proceed."

A scream. Silence.

"Complete."

* * *

Jolt and Sideswipe pulled up behind Sam and Carly slowly, careful not to make a sound. The pair of humans were crouching in a bush beside a bus shelter. Just as the two Autobots rolled up, Sam turned around and gasped in surprise.

"What are you guys doing here?" he demanded urgently, wide eyed with shock.

"We tracked the Decepticons here," Jolt said. "This must be their headquarters."

"We've been watching for sometime now," Sam said, nodding. "Nothing's happened but we knew they're in there." He turned back to the building, not noticing the confused looking Carly standing beside him waiting for some sort of introduction.

"I'll just introduce myself then, shall I?" Carly asked with a raised eyebrow. She smiled at the Autobots and said, "I'm Carly."

"Judging by your lack of surprise at "talking cars"," the Autobot Sideswipe said, "You have a Guardian? Are you Carly as in Ratchet's Carly?"

"The very same," she nodded. "And you are?"

"Sideswipe and this is Jolt."

"Pleased to meet you," Carly nodded. "Well, are we going to do something or what?"

"We must wait," Jolt said carefully. "NEST are on their way. We cannot go in there alone unless we have to." The Autobot seemed pained and uncomfortable with this plan. It was clear to everyone that he wanted to get inside and rescue the hostages. He would have to wait though. He just hoped they had time to wait.


	13. Pretender

****

Author's Note: Huge thanks to Volds for her help with this chapter! :D Hope this works!

* * *

It hadn't been long since Major Lennox and his team had left to go and rescue those who had been kidnapped. They set off with the Autobots as quickly as they could, ignoring every Highway Code rule in existence. They didn't have time to obey the laws of the road – lives were in danger and that was the most important thing to remember.

They left Toshiko Sato and Spock behind, working on figuring out the Rift. They'd decided they were onto something regarding the lightening storms being windows through time and space. Captain Jim Kirk strode into the little room they were working in and looked between the pair, expecting some sort of answer. "Well?" he probed.

"We've found that there is potentially a link between dimensions through the lightening storms in space. They are likely because of the Rift," Toshiko explained while Spock sat there perfectly stoically and watched the Captain for his reaction.

Jim frowned as he thought this through. "That's… likely," he said, realising this. It was certainly a viable idea. He nodded and walked over the Toshiko's computer and read the statistics on the screen. "What's all this?"

"Readings from across the world. The lightening storms are coinciding with strange sights in the sky. Meteors and such like," Toshiko replied. "It all just goes to show that the Rift is involved with this."

"So, maybe if we can launch back into a lightening storm, we could maybe get back to the _Enterprise?" _Jim mused aloud, looking at Toshiko carefully trying to work out what his best option would be.

"Yes, in theory," Toshiko agreed.

"It would be very difficult," Spock added, standing up and pacing the room. "It would have to happen in a very precise moment. There would be no guarantee that we would return to the correct dimension." He looked grim and his eyes told of a doubt that this plan would succeed. "This plan has a large chance of failure, Captain. The likelihood of our safe arrival back onboard is less than-."

"Spock," Jim interrupted determinedly, "What other choice do we have?" The question entered a now silent room. Nobody had any answer to this. The truth was, they had no other choice besides staying there, and Jim was never going to allow that. He couldn't abandon his crew like that. His life would never be complete without the _Enterprise_. He shivered and took a deep breath. "We've got to do this."

Toshiko turned back to her computer and began typing in codes and scanning the lightening storms again. "Captain Kirk? Did you manage to make further contact with the _Enterprise_?" she wanted to know.

"No," the Captain shook his head dejectedly. "I'll try again though. We need all the help we can get." He looked determined and he as never going to give up on trying to get back to his ship.

"Let's get to that then," Toshiko said loading up a new screen on her computer and working though a system that was unknown to both Spock and Jim. They looked on with interest, surprised that humans in this period had such advanced technology.

Spock was the first to voice this, "May I enquire into the origin of this technology?" he asked.

"That's classified information," Toshiko replied, "I can't tell you that. But not everything we have here is strictly from Earth, that's all I'm saying."

This, Jim reflected, was only to be expected. He pulled up a chair that was sitting at the side of the room and took a seat beside Toshiko. She began asking him questions about the ship, trying to find as much out as she could: the registration, the manufacture date, the age, the last known location… Anything that might help her pinpoint the _Enterprise. _It was a difficult task but she made short work of it.

Suddenly the screen lit up green and the words "MATCH!" flashed in front of them. Jim's heart skipped a beat with hope as he read this.

"You found the ship?"

"How?" Spock demanded, "It is illogical. It cannot be possible that you found the _Enterprise _on a piece of technology from your time period." The Vulcan was evidently more sceptical than the Captain was. To him, this whole procedure seemed doubtful.

Seeing no alternative but to explain how she had achieved such a feat, Toshiko sighed and said, "This piece of kit is from way into my future, but from roughly your time zone. It's alien technology that we've never been able to use before. It seems to be working for locating your ship though."

"Very well," Spock accepted, "Can you contact the crew?"

"I can try," Toshiko nodded with a smile. She was confident she could make something work, even if it was going to be incredibly difficult.

* * *

Ayden was more than a little annoyed. She would never admit it to anyone else, but she was frightened. She felt like she was floating. She had no control over her body. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak and she couldn't see. She could still hear though. So far she had heard the command "Discard" being given three times. She could only assume that three people were dead. Four others had been chosen for something called "mind influence and preservation". These had all been people with direct contacts to the Autobots or to an organisation called NEST. Nervous, Ayden realised she had no contact to either of these. She was certain she was going to die.

"Details of subject eight?"

Ayden felt something grabbing at her consciousness, like a claw. She must be subject eight, she guessed. It was her time to die now, she was sure.

"Discardable; no contact with Autobots or nest," the voice came again – just like it had for the others. Ayden was swearing mentally at this point, terrified but accepting. There was nothing she could do.

"Proceed." Her death sentence. This was it. She was going to-

"Wait!" a sudden cry came.

A mechanic voice growled, "What is it?"

"Subject eight had intimate contact with me – as a pretender. She could be considered useful." Ayden recognised that voice immediately but she couldn't think how he could be here. He couldn't be? Could he? Ayden wasn't sure what a "pretender" was but she hadn't done anything "intimate" in her whole life; she'd been too busy kicking her mother's boyfriends out to even think of getting one of her own. Whatever it was, she was alive because of _him_ and she wasn't sure if she should be grateful. Maybe it would have been better to die than be forced to work for these people – that's what she assumed was going to happen. What the big question was now, was why the hell was her best friend from school, Zeb Williams, doing here working with the enemy? And why had he been a "pretender"?

There was a long moment of silence.

"Preserve."


	14. Break In

****

Author's Note: Another update! Woohoo! :) And Maple, I know you'll be wanting an ITTF update, but I'm planning on finishing this fic this week, so ITTF will be up once this is done. Enjoy!

* * *

It didn't take too long for Toshiko to figure out how to send a message using the alien technology, despite never really being able to use it previously. She'd had no reason to do so after all. Nobody had fallen from the future before. She had a three second window to send a simple, pre-typed message reading "You're Captain and Commander are with us in America, 2010. We are trying to find an opprortunity to send them back home but we require your co-operation. We have discovered that the lightening storms are windows through time and space and we intend to send your crew though these. At that precise moment you _must _be able to lock onto their shuttle and beam them onboard."

Once the message was sent, they weren't very sure how long it was going to take to get a response. Jim was nervous. "What if this doens't work?" he wanted to know. "I mean, what if we end up in another completely random dimension?" His concerns were valid but there was nothing anybody could say that could offer any reassurance.

"We have to try," Toshiko said, "If you want any chance of getting home, you have to trust me."

"I do," Jim sighed, rolling his eyes in mild annoyance, "But you can't expect a guy not to be a _little _bit worried about ending up in hell knows where."

"I'm sorry," Toshiko said. "But there isn't a risk free way to do this. Your crew need to attempt to beam you onboard at the precise moment you enter the storm. According to mine and the Commander's calculations, this force should be strong enough to ensure you land on the _Enterprise. _It will not be easy, but it could work."

"This logic is sound," Spock assured quietly.

Just then, they recieved a message back from the _Enterprise. _"You're message has been understood," they read off the computer screen together. "Doctor McCoy and Engineer Scott have created a system that should match the DNA of the Captain and Commander to anything through the storms. We are orbitting Earth presently, where what seems a storm has been brewing for some time. We are prepared and await your go ahead."

"I have," Jim said with a smile, "The best crew in the universe."

Toshiko laughed, "Come on. Let's find you a shuttle."

* * *

Jack Harkness was growing impatient and annoyed. He sat still on the grass across the road from a big warehouse-style building with the rest of his team, minus Toshiko. They were all well hidden and were trying to figure out how they could get into the building without being traced. Lennox's team were sitting around talking in hushed voices to the two teenagers and Autobots whom they'd found upon arrival.

"This is crap," Owen sighed, scuffing his shoe on the ground. He was moody and unwilling to be sitting outside in the chilly night air. It was getting dark and the wind was picking up quickly. Grumbling he said loudly, "Can't we just… go in? I mean, Torchwood won't be recognisable to them at all so we could lie and say we're here to help them or something?"

"That'll never work," Major Lennox retorted, shaking his head. "You don't know they haven't been watching us and noticed we're working with you."

"And for all we know, Major, they _could _be helping them!" one of the privates snarled to Lennox, glaring heatedly at the Torchwood team.

"Cool it, pretty boy," Jack snapped, "I thought we'd gotten through this whole "You're to blame" thing?" The Captain, it was safe to say, was not very impressed with the attitude of the private.

Suddenly, Ianto pointed towards the slope that lead down to the warehouse across the road. "Look!" he cried and scrambled to hide behind the bushes better. He was quickly followed by the rest of the group that were most visible.

Someone was running up the hill towards them, looking over his shoulder anxiously. In the poor light, they could make out his blond, spiked hair. He was a tall boy that had to be about eighteen at the most. He turned and squinted into the darkness, apparently hoping to see something in particular. He pulled out a small device from his pocket and pressed a button on it. With a satisfied smile he put away the device again. Just then, he seemed to realise why he was there again and he called out, "Is anyone there? You've got to help me! Please!"

The boy was desperate. Captain Jack looked at Major Lennox but neither had an answer. If this was a trick, they could all end up dead. If it wasn't, this might be their only chance to get inside the building.

The boy called out desperately again, "Help! Someone! You can get into the building now. I'm not a Decepticon! They're killing the hostages-."

Lennox didn't listen to anything else. He was on his feet in a second, gun in hand and hurtling across the road and down the slope. He ignored the few yelled protests of his fellows and kept running until he reached the boy.

"How many? How many have they killed?" he said, with the gun raised. "Tell me!" His eyes were burning with the sort of terror for his child that only a father could feel. He was furious and frightened all at the same time but he didn't have time to dwell on that.

"I don't know… Maybe about five," the boy admitted, looking terrified, "Please, don't shoot! I'm not one of them! I'm trying to help you! They've got one of my friends and they nearly killed her."  
"Get me in there," Lennox commanded hotly.

"I've disabled the cameras," the boy said, "They won't see us coming. Leave the Autobots outside, they'll be more use out here if it leads to combat. Megatron is out there somewhere. He left shortly after the ninth procedure. He's communicating wirelessly with the team in there."

Lennox nodded and beckoned to the others before following the boy at a sprint towards the door again. "Who are you?" the Major wanted to know as he hesitated at the door while the boy typed in the access code into the door.

"My name's Zeb Williams. I used to be a Decepticon pretender… But I can't do that anymore. I haven't for a long time," he explained, his honey coloured eyes filling with regret for the time he had spent with the enemy. "I can't hurt people the way they do. I just can't. They'll kill me when they find out. Honest to Primus, they'll kill me."

"If you help us, we'll help you. But I swear, if this is a hoax, _I'll _kill you," Lennox promised as the heavy metal door slid open and they were granted access into the long dark corridor. It was huge and bare.

Having been caught up by the others, Lennox led the way with Zeb as they made their way along it, on guard the whole time. After what felt like forever, Jed came to a halt beside a large metal door. "This is where they're keeping the hostages right now," he explained. "They're trying to programme their minds so they can pass on information to the Decepticons from you guys… The ones that they don't need… they… they kill. But even the ones that they decide to keep, the process is nearly killing them."

"Get us in there," Lennox snarled, "Now. My daughter is in there."

Zeb nodded and began typing in his access code on the panel beside the door. "We might have little bit more time to save the ones they've decided to keep. They're trying to refine the process after the first kid came out like a zombie."

Lennox visibly paled. Annabelle… His daughter. He wished with all his heart that his little girl was going to be okay when he found her.


	15. Escape

****

Author's Note: An update the next day? Well, that's pretty much unheard of! A long one too!

* * *

The metal door slid open with a loud hiss and Lennox and the others stood with bated breath, weapons raised. They barely had time to take in the room before they marched inside, hunting for the enemy. The only man in the room was a tall bald. He was startled when they burst in and automatically stood away from the computer he was working at, in front of a row of small chambers with rectangular little windows.

"Put your hands in the air!" Lennox snarled as he strode forward, accompanied by Captain Jack, also holding a gun.

The man raised an eyebrow as he regained his composure. He took a small step back towards the computer. "What if I don't?"

"Then so help me I will kill you," Lennox growled in barely controlled anger.

The man was clearly becoming apprehensive. He glanced back at his computer and then reluctantly raised his hands. "Okay," he sighed.

"Now tell me," Lennox snarled as he strode forward, putting his gun back on his belt before grabbing the man's arms. He cuffed them behind his back and carried on talking, "What are you doing here? What have you done to these people?"

"I can't tell you that," the man replied. "That information is classified."

Lennox laughed bitterly, "Don't you try that crap on me. Tell me."

"Let me handle this one," Jack said, with a grim expression. He pushed passed the Major and grabbed the man by the throat, slamming him against one of the chambers. "Either you start talking or I'll break your neck."

Zeb Williams pushed his way to the front of the group and hurried towards the computer. "I should be able to disable this. I mean, I know this tech." The teenager frowned as he stared at the screen intently reading.

"Zeb!" the bald man gasped, "What are you doing helping them, you bloody traitor!" He didn't have a chance to say anything else before Jack punched him in the stomach and threw him to the ground.

Zeb decided to ignore this and carried on with his work. He typed in a few commands and suddenly the doors of the chambers burst open out the way. An alarm began to ring somewhere in the room and everyone scrambled into action. Some of the hostages blinked as they suddenly returned to consciousness, particularly the older teenagers, before trying to move out of the chamber. Any locks that had been holding them back were unlocked with the doors so anyone who could, escaped. Some of them didn't move, however. Some of them were dead. It was chilling to see, but it was true.

Frantically, everyone began helping the hostages out of the chambers trying to offer vain words of comfort. Major Lennox was scanning the chambers anxiously looking for one person. He spotted his daughter after a few seconds. She was wearing a pretty pink dress, her head resting against the side of the chamber, unmoving with her mouth slightly open. "Annabelle!" he cried out, running to her, pushing passed one of his officers. He reached his daughter and cupped her face with his hand, begging her silently to be alive. His heart was pounding loudly in his ears and he could barely hear. He pressed his finger to the side of her throat and miraculously there was still a pulse. He scooped her up and held her close. "Hey, baby girl. Daddy's got you."

She didn't answer, but she was breathing and that was enough for the moment. Holding Annabelle close against his chest, he clutched his gun in the other hand as he followed the rest of the team back out of the room and through the corridor back outside. The alarm was still ringing furiously and people were starting to swarm after them with shooting. Dodging bullets, the Major ducked outside and hurried up the hill to safety. He was reluctant to leave his child again, but he knew he had to fight. Sideswipe, Jolt and the Autobots that had arrived with Lennox were transforming and preparing for battle. Cannons were being fired left right and centre as Decepticons approached.

The Major recognised Megatron towering above them and knew this was serious. This was no place for children to be, that was for certain. A dark haired teen who looked more than a little frightened appeared beside him. "I'll take her if you want. My friend and I were looking after her earlier on."

The Major hesitated and then sighed. He kissed Annabelle lightly on the forehead, "I'll be back sweetheart," he whispered before handing her to the teenager. "Take care of her."

"I will," the girl promised with a smile as she took the infant. With that assurance, the army Major ran back down the hill to join the fight, ducking for cover behind a rock and shooting around it.

Bailey McKellar hugged the Major's daughter tightly and smiled at Maple as she walked over to her. "Are you okay?" Bailey asked anxiously.

"Yeah, I think so," Maple replied. "My head hurts though." She couldn't remember much of what had happened since they'd been in the dark room other than excruciating pain. And screaming. There had definitely been screaming. "You?"

"I'm as good as I could be," Bailey sighed. "Annabelle's unconscious though. We did find her Dad though. He's fighting. And I really think we should try and get the hell out of here."

"Agreed," Maple nodded.

Bailey looked around the scene with wide, terrified eyes. People were still running frantically from the building in a desperate bid to escape. Mostly they were making for the cover of the bushes on the hill but others were running to wherever they could. What appeared to be giant robots were firing at each other and were locked in intense combat. On the ground, soldiers were fighting the people who'd been helping keep hostages.

"Jolt…" Bailey whispered as she recognised her Autobot guardian.

Maple followed her gaze and recognised Sideswipe nearby too. She smiled at her newfound Scottish friend. "I knew he wouldn't leave me here. I knew he'd try and find me." She was so glad she could trust the Autobot. She had always had faith in him.

Just then, a man in a suit hurried over to where they were with a pair of young children, about ten years old. They were crying and were terrified by all the chaos. Maple sat down beside them and hugged them both, promising to help.

"Excuse me?" Bailey said to the man in a suit.

"Yes?" he said with a strong Welsh accent.

"Can you drive? And is there a car here you can drive?" Bailey asked. "I think we should try and get all the hostages as far away from here as we possibly can."

The man smiled slightly, "Yes. I can drive. But as for getting a car-."

"Hot wire the thing," came a new voice from behind her. Ayden walked over to them looking annoyed and confused, but very much alive.

"You can hotwire a car?" Carly asked as she arrived on the hill with a little boy of about seven, hearing the end of that conversation.

"Sure I can," Ayden said as though this was the most obvious thing in the world, "I learnt that ages ago. One of Mum's better boyfriends taught me. See that van over there." She pointed to a white van that was parked not too far from the warehouse, but a safe distance from the fighting. "If I start it, you can drive."

"Alright then," the Welsh man nodded, "I'll go and round up the other hostages."

"Okay then," Ayden said, "And by the way? Cute accent." With that, she turned and dashed towards the van. It was time for them to escape.

It was a difficult job, rounding up the hostages. Ianto Jones was no stranger to adversity but running through a battle zone trying to find terrified children and teenagers was no easy feat. He thought he'd found most of them and sent them to the hill where Bailey, Maple and Annabelle were waiting with the children that had been escorted out by Lennox's team.

What broke his heart was that some of the youngsters had lost their lives. What hurt even more was the fact he couldn't stop to recover the bodies. They would have to be collected later. The living were the priority at the moment – that was the truth.

After about fifteen minutes of searching, he decided he'd collected everyone. He over to the van and found Ayden finishing her task. She had only just started the engine and jumped into the passenger seat when he arrived and took the wheel.

"Nicely done," he smiled at her.  
"Thank you," Ayden grinned as he pressed down the accelerator pedal and they made for the group waiting on the hill, swerving just in time to miss the blast of one of the Decepticon's cannons. The noise was almost deafening but he didn't let this slow him down.

When he arrived at the hill he slammed on the break and jumped out. Sprinting around to the back of the van, he swung open the back doors and revealed a thankfully nearly empty storage area. Seatbelts and the law would just have to be doing. There was no time to worry about that. It was vital they escaped first of all. "Get in!" he commanded and without hesitation the hostages began piling into the back.

It was time to go. Looking at some of them, Ianto decided the nearest hospital had to be the first port of call. With that, he slammed the doors shut and set off along the road, well over the speed limit.


	16. Answers

**Author's Note: Blehhh, I'm such a bad updater. I've had most of this written since I was away on holiday but never got round to typing it up. I do apologise, everyone! **

* * *

Sheer chaos – that's all Major Lennox could see wherever he turned. He was alert and tense, very aware of what was going on around him. He fired at any opponent within range, trying to keep himself safe from enemy fire at the same time. He kept thinking of his unconscious daughter, terrified for her. He tried to relax and just trust the teenagers that had taken her to look after. But what if something was wrong with her? He could never live with himself if she'd gotten hurt because of what his job was. It wasn't her fault. She was his beautiful little girl and she didn't deserve to suffer. He didn't ever want to see her in pain.

Deftly, he dived sideways to avoid a cannon blast from one of the Decepticons. The shock waves from the blast knocked him into a nearby tree. Cursing, he got up and carried on fighting, sweat dripping down his face. He was being deafened by the sounds of combat but there was nothing he could do about that. He just had too keep fighting, for little Annabelle if nothing else.

No sooner had he fired his gun than something hit him sharply in the shoulder. For a moment he was stunned, thinking automatically he'd been shot. He glanced around just as something hit him again. When he realised the pain was short lived, he decided something must have just fallen. Then he saw the young man lying on the ground behind a large rock, wincing in pain as he tried to aim another stone at the Major. "Sir," he cried, "Listen to me!"

Lennox immediately ducked to the ground and hurried over to him, trying to remain undercover. "Zeb?" he queried in concern, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I'm dying," Zeb said bluntly, "But you don't need to help me." This seemed like an odd sentiment but before Lennox had a chance to say anything, the teen carried on quickly, "I just think you should know why all this happened." He gestured weakly around him, indicating what "all this" was. Lennox followed his movement and took in the scene around him. The battle was well underway. There was no way this was going to end until somebody had lost – there was to be no truce here.

"Tell me," Lennox nodded, "But I'm going to help you. You helped save my daughter. It's the least I can do." With that, he deftly lifted the younger man up and keeping low to the ground, tried to creep away from the combat zone, towards the trees where they'd been hidden earlier. He constantly checked over his shoulder for any sign of attack. He listening intently to what Zeb whispering in his ear, somewhat breathless and frightened.

What he heard chilled him but he didn't have time to dwell on it, Zeb needed help first.

* * *

It didn't take Ianto Jones long to drive to the hospital with the escapees. He, as usual when on a Torchwood mission, ignored the rules of the road. What did throw him slightly however, was the fact that the Americans drove on the right hand side of the road.

"Come on!" Ayden yelled as he narrowly avoided another car heading straight towards them as Ianto veered into the left hand lane, where he was used to driving.

"Sorry," Ianto rolled his eyes impatiently, annoyed at the teenager in the passenger seat.

When they did pull up outside the nearest hospital, they found the place busy. Ianto jumped out quickly and hurried around to the back of the van, helping everyone out. They all looked rather rattled but nobody complained about the difficult journey.

"What's going to happen?" a little boy of about seven wanted to know, grabbing hold of Ianto's trouser leg and looking nervous.

"We're just going to check you're not hurt or anything," the Welshman smiled reassuringly. The little boy nodded but remained clinging to Ianto's leg. Just then, Maple and Bailey jumped out of the van, Maple holding the still unconscious Annabelle Lennox.

"Let's get inside," Bailey said looking around at the group, trying to keep track of everyone. She led the way to the reception with Maple, guiding a couple of the younger kids along with her. Ianto and Ayden took up the rear, ensuring they had the whole group.

The receptionist's eyes widened in shock and surprise as they all piled inside and waited around anxiously. Ianto spoke quickly to the receptionist and her eyes widened in shock before she called to some of the doctors who was just passing by at that moment. The man nodded and then pointed them through to a waiting room along the corridor to their right. This, everyone got the impression, was going to be a very long wait.

Annabelle Lennox was taken immediately through to the theatre room, as were the two other youngsters who had not yet gained consciousness. They were all still breathing, so CPR earlier on would have been ineffectual and might have done more harm than good. It was best to just leave it to the professionals.

Bailey, Maple and Ayden sat together in a quiet corner of the room in silence. They didn't have much to say to each other. Ayden unclipped the locket she wore around her neck and held it in her hand for a moment before opening it. She looked at the photo and sighed, turning her eyes to the ceiling and leaning her head against the wall.

"So who is he?" Bailey asked, looking at the photo over her shoulder, recognising the boy as one of their rescuers. In the confusion, she hadn't seen him for long but it definitely was the same person.

"My best friend," Ayden replied slowly, turning to look at the two other teens. "His name's Zeb Williams and he's a couple of years older than me."

"What's he do?" Maple asked curiously, peering at the photo too. "Why's he involved in all this crap too?"

"He went to Uni in Cardiff at the start of the year," Ayden replied, "I haven't seen him since and he's really bad at e-mails, so I hardly hear from him either. I'm not sure why he's involved with all this but… But I bloody well want to find out. He was definitely there when they were doing whatever the hell they were doing to us…"

She frowned at the photo in the locket and shut it quickly, stuffing it into her pocket. She wondered if Zeb had made it out of the building okay. She hadn't seen him since the escape and she hadn't even had a chance to talk to him. She needed answers, and she wanted them now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jim, Spock and Toshiko had successfully obtained a shuttle that would take them far enough up to attempt to beam back on board the _Enterprise _and now it was simply a matter of waiting until the right moment.

The two Star Fleet officers were walking towards the shuttle to prepare for take off. The Captain was more than a little excited at the prospect of seeing his crew again Jim looked at Spock and smiled, "We're going home, Spock."

"If this plan succeeds," Spock agreed.

"You know what, though?" Jim said with a small thoughtful frown on his face as he looked at Torchwood's Toshiko Sato as she sat with her laptop beside her while she worked on the shuttle's engine, trying to boost the chances they would have of arriving home safely.

"What?"

"You two would make a cute couple," Jim smirked.

"I hardly think that true," the Vulcan denied, looking straight forward, avoiding Jim's eyes. "We are from two very different worlds. Two different times. It is not plausable even if I wished for it."

"Was just saying," Jim shrugged, still watching Toshiko. "Would you if you could?"

"Jim."

"Yes?"

"Please be quiet."

Toshiko smiled at the pair as they approached and got to her feet. "This should work well enough. I've made a few adjustments... I guess you should take off now. I'll be able to talk to you over the comm all the while and don't do anything until I give you the go ahead. I'll be tracking the lightening storm that _should _be approaching soon." She looked between the two men and sighed, "Good luck."

"Thank you," Jim said offering his hand for her to shake, "Thank you for everything. Without you there probably would be no way in hell of us getting home." He knew this was true too. He gave a quick, grateful salute and then made his way into the shuttle, preparing for take off.

Spock was left with Toshiko alone. He offered her his hand too and said "Thank you. Your efforts are much appreciated. If there was a way we could return the favour, we certainly would."

Toshiko smiled and took his hand but rather than shaking it, she pulled him closer and kissed his cheek lightly. "Good luck, Spock."


	17. I'm Sorry

**Author's Note: There's only one more chapter of this story, I think. I really want it finished before I go back to school next week. Anyways, enjoy this! It's a little emotional, I think... But enjoy!**

* * *

Major Lennox had managed to Zeb to safety, hidden behind the bushes out of view. He was still shocked by what the Decepticon pretender had told him, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He was closely followed by one of the Autobots – the only one that could help at the moment – Ratchet. The Autobot was certain that he could do something to help Zeb – he was talented, there was no doubt about that.

"He is a Decepticon, though," Ratchet said as he crouched by the teen. "He could be using us for some alternative purpose."

Lennox could understand why the mech thought this but Zeb didn't have time for them to discuss this. "Yes, but he helped us, Ratchet."

"I don't…" Zeb began, "I don't want to be what _they _are," he spat. He was looking towards the last of the Decepticons were being brought down. The battle was beginning to quiet. They were winning and that was at least a comfort.

"You don't have to be," Lennox promised with a small smile. "Just do what you can, Ratchet. Then get the hell away from here. I think we're all but done here."

"Affirmative," Ratchet nodded, "Megatron left. Coward." The Autobot was clearly furious and Lennox shared this anger. Megatron was behind this, yet he'd been allowed to escape their grasp again.

The Major sighed and stood up. "I'm going to the hospital. I need to see Annabelle."

"Go," Ratchet nodded, "I will take care of the Pretender."

"Thank you," Lennox nodded before turning and hurrying to where Ironhide had just transformed back into his alternative form. Together, they drove quickly away from the scene of the fight, the Major looking back out the window at the carnage they were leaving.

"Annabelle?" Ironhide prompted, "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," Lennox sighed, slouching back in his chair. "I damn well hope so or someone's going to pay for hurting her."

"The child is strong," Ironhide consoled as the hurtled along the street passed houses and now swarming police cars. "She is a fighter."

"Lets hope so," Lennox smiled, "It's sick, though, Ironhide. It's disgusting that someone would do this to children."

"What exactly were they attempting to do?" the Autobot wanted to know, sensing his companion's horror through the tone of his voice.

The Major tensed and thought about everything the young Pretender had told him on the battlefield. He shivered and then said, "They… They wanted to wipe their minds and turn them into their own little druids. They were going to destroy _everything _that made them who they were and turn them into their playthings. They chose kids who had links to the Autobots or NEST to try and get close to us and destroy our organisation from within. They thought if they used people close to us we wouldn't be able to stop them…"

The Autobot didn't reply immediately. They drove along in silence for a long moment, Lennox looking out the window, his heart aching with the very thought of something like that happening to his little girl. He couldn't bare it if someone had destroyed everything Annabelle Lennox was. His daughter deserved better than that. He could never have lived with himself if he'd had to… if something had to be done for the greater good… "Just get us to the hospital, Ironhide."

* * *

"Now, Bailey, we just need to do a couple of tests to check your general health. Then we'll send you through to get a brain scan-."

"Pardon?" Bailey McKellar blinked, gripping the arm of her chair in the nurse's room a little tighter, "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing we know of," the pretty blonde nurse said gently, "Whatever happened to you earlier was an invasive procedure that involved your brain. We need to check nothing's been changed. Don't worry though – I think everything's okay."

"Right," Bailey said slowly. She took a deep breath and let the nurse perform the tests she needed without protest. It had been a very long day already and she was too exhausted to moan about anything anymore. It was necessary so she couldn't protest anyway.

Several blood samples, scans and a number of vaccinations later, a shaken Bailey McKellar walked out in to the corridor of the hospital and took a deep breath. She was alive and she just needed to wait for the results of the scans. The hospital wanted to keep everyone there for at least the next day to monitor their health but soon she could go home.

Bailey took a seat beside Maple and Ayden again and looked around. The scene had changed very little in the time she'd been in the nurse's offices. There were office workers milling around the corridors mingling with the children finding their names and home phone numbers to tell parents to come and collect them.

"They phoned your folks yet?" Bailey asked the other girls as she watched a small boy playing with colourful plastic bricks.

"Yeah," Ayden nodded, "But Mom can't drive so she's got to wait for the taxi to bring her here. Apparently her current boyfriend left her while she was looking for me… He said he was just looking for a fun relationship or something. I swear I'll kick his ass if I see him again." The teenager was clearly furious with him, but something told Bailey and Maple this was not an unknown situation for their newfound friend.

"Well, she's better off without him then," Maple said giving the other girl a small hug. "My parents are on their way. It's quite a drive for them though."

"Likewise," Bailey sighed. "Still. It's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon."

Just then, Major Lennox was led into the waiting area looking more than a little frantic. A nurse was showing him through to the intensive care ward where Annabelle, his daughter, had been for the last hour.

"She's going to need to stay with us for a little while," the nurse was explaining to the Army Major, "But we think she should make a full recovery. She hasn't regained consciousness but only because we have her sedated to allow her body a chance to recover. Her vitals all seem fine and perfectly responsive."

"So she's going to be fine?" Lennox asked, worried. "What was wrong with her?"

"She had to have an operation to extract a tumour caused by the rays she was under earlier this evening. We know very little of the details but it was a very invasive attack on the brains of the youngsters," the nurse said frowning in disgust, "Sickening, really."

"Can I see her?" he asked, not really listening to what the nurse had to say on anything besides his little girl. "Is it all right for me to stay with her?"

"For a little while," the nurse smiled gently and allowed him into the room. It was a strange place and it made the young man nervous. There were a number of serious looking machines all surrounding a bed in the centre of the back wall. Lying flat on her back with a tube up her nose and several drips in her arm, was his daughter.

"Annabelle," he breathed, hurrying over to the plastic chair beside the bed and sitting down. She looked so ill and fragile he was scared to touch her. For a moment he just looked at his child and suddenly he felt overwhelmed by emotion. Tears sprung to his eyes and he took her hand gently, rubbing his thumb over the back of it.

Silently, the nurse left the room with a small smile, giving them peace. Lennox gazed intently at Annabelle for a moment and then sighed, letting the tears fall. He had been so scared, so very scared for her. He'd thought she was dead, he'd thought she was mortally injured, he'd thought she'd been turned into a Decepticon puppet… He'd hoped so hard it actually hurt that she'd be okay. "Annabelle," he said again, grateful to be able to say her name and know that it wasn't to identify her body. "I love you, baby. I'm… I'm so glad you're alive. Y'know… I'm never going to let anyone hurt you ever again. I'm so sorry. I'm so _sorry." _And resting his head on his free hand, he simply sobbed.


	18. Breaking Point

**Author's Note: And… I'm done. I know it's been forever since I updated anything and I truly am sorry. I've had some of this written for weeks – I did it on the coach to the airport to get home from Ibiza back to sunny, sunny Scotland. So yeah, general laziness is part of this, as is my return to school and such like. I'm sorry, but I hope this chapter is worth the wait and that you've all enjoyed the story. I'd like to thank any reviewers I failed to respond to and most of all, those of you who've stuck with me and this story despite my slow updates. You guys rock the socks of rocks. Seriously. **

* * *

Tension. Jim and Spock were watching out of the window of their shuttle expectantly. Quietly anxious, the Captain looked down back towards Earth, where everything was fast becoming tiny. "She liked you, Spock," he said after a while, referring to Toshiko Sato whom they had left behind on the planet surface.

"That may be so," Spock replied, "However, there is little point dwelling on something that will never happen. Besides, I have Lieutenant Uhura back on the ship."

"Yeah," Jim shrugged. "Fair enough. But still. She kissed you!" The Captain smirked childishly and turned to face his companion. The Vulcan only raised an eyebrow in response and looked away.

They had been waiting for some time now for word from Toshiko. Impatient, Jim pressed the button on the board in front of him that would allow him to make contact with Toshiko back on Earth. "Toshiko?" he probed, testing the link curiously.

"Receiving," came the reply from the other end.

"Great!" Jim grinned, "Anything to report?"

"Not yet. Although, there is definitely something brewing. The sky is clouding. Be ready. The storm could form at an incredibly speed."

"Oh, we're ready," Jim grinned at Spock, shifting in his seat, ready to act when he needed to.

Time passed slowly after that though. It must have only been minutes, but the young Captain was so desperate to get back to his ship that everything seemed to have been frozen.

However, eventually, the sky darkened rapidly. Jim started, looking around in surprise. "This is it, Spocko!"

"I believe so, Jim," the half Vulcan replied with a curt nod.

Jim took the controls and prepared to fly right into the heart of the dark cloud that had formed in the sky. "Here goes, Toshiko!" he said into the speaker.

"Accelerate," Toshiko commanded, "I'm contacting the _Enterprise. _They're trying to locate your ship as we speak. Good luck."

"Thank you," Jim said as the first spike of lightening shot through the sky. He was terrified but exhilarated at the same time. He punched in a code into the shuttle computer and they lurched forwards.

This would either work or it wouldn't. Whatever happened, there was no going back now. Suddenly, just as they entered the centre of the storm, everything went totally black, and very, very quiet.

* * *

As suddenly as they'd been enveloped in silence, the air filled with noise. Jim immediately became aware of his body being pressed up against a cold metal floor, blood dripping down the side of his face slightly. He blinked, confused.

"Dammit, Jim!" came a wonderfully familiar voice from somewhere within the yelling around him. Someone gently rolled him onto his back and began thoroughly examining his eyes, shining bright lights at him.

"Bones," the young Captain grinned cheerfully, as his vision slowly cleared. He threw his arms up and around his best friend's neck, hugging him. "Good to see you."

"You too, Jim," Bones admitted, rolling his eyes as he detached the younger man from around his neck and set about examining the cut on his forehead that was slowly oozing blood down his face.

"Where's Spock?" Jim wanted to know, trying to move his head to look around the room, only to have his face forced back to the Doctor.

"Safe," McCoy replied reassuringly. "He's in the medical bay resting. The pair of you had a pretty rough, and pretty bizarre landing."

"How so?"

"Well, we beamed you out of nowhere to start with. You weren't really in any time – more some sort of white space between dimensions. Then you both showed up ten minutes apart. But you're both here and both fine." The Doctor was quite clearly grateful for this. He looked exhausted and tired but glad.

"What a day, eh?" Jim laughed, rubbing his head slightly, which the Doctor smiled in agreement before unexpectedly jamming a hypo in the Captain's neck and the world descended into darkness again.

"Get some rest, kiddo," he said with a smile, scooping up the younger man to carry him through to the Medical Bay. Just in that moment, everything was right again.

* * *

They had been in the hospital for some time now. The nurses had found most of the youngsters beds to sleep in overnight. It was just a precaution, but they all had to stay in the hospital for a while under close watch. Ayden, Maple and Bailey had managed to be placed next to each. They were close enough together to chat quietly, despite the sounds the monitors they were all hooked up to, that beeped quietly over and over constantly.

It was the crack of dawn but the three girls were awake already. They'd fallen asleep late out of sheer exhaustion, but as soon as the sun was up, so were they. Ayden was looking tired and fed up, repeatedly checking her mobile phone, that her Mum had left on her bedside table during the night when she'd arrived – it seemed parents hadn't been allowed to stay in the ward overnight.

She seemed restless and she desperately wanted answers. What she needed was to talk to Zeb.

"Ayden?" Bailey probed, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," the other girl nodded slowly, "I'm fine… Just… I want to talk to Zeb. He was definitely with the evil bastards that were trying to kill us. I know he saved us in the end…. But… Damn it, I need to talk to him!"

Bailey and Maple nodded, understanding. Bailey said, "Maybe you'll hear from him today?"

"I hope so," Ayden replied, sighing and putting her phone down on her bedside table.

The girls sat in silence for a few minutes, just thinking over what had happened recently. The sunlight from outside slowly began to fill the room as morning set in properly. The weather seemed to be much clearer now, the girls noted. Whatever the Decepticons had been doing had been the cause of the strange weather patterns.

Slowly, their ward door opened and a familiar face appeared in the doorway. Ayden looked up hopefully but she was disappointed. Maple and Bailey however, grinned slightly. "Major Lennox," the pair said together, as he walked passed the other waking children in the ward, over to them, wearing dark blue jeans and a loose grey hoodie. "Good morning," Bailey smiled.

"Hello girls," he smiled. He looked exhausted and shaken, but the teenagers still thought he looked remarkably attractive for early morning. "I just wanted to thank you properly for looking after my little girl."

"It's not a problem," Maple assured him. "Is Annabelle okay?"

"Yeah, she should be fine," the Major nodded happily. "She wouldn't have been without you though. I'm so grateful-."

He was cut off by the door bursting open again. Everybody spun around and stared at the figure running down the ward. Those who were still asleep were suddenly awoken by the teenager calling out, "Ayden!"

Ayden gasped roughly detached the wires that were attached to her arm, and sprung out of her bed to meet her friend half way along the ward, "Zeb!"

"Oh so that's Zeb," Maple whispered, "He looks better in real life than he does in the photo." Bailey giggled at her friend and then watched Ayden and Zeb with a small smile. Ayden clung around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder and holding him tightly. "Are you alright? What happened to you? I couldn't find you anywhere!"

"I'm fine, but what the hell were you doing there?" he demanded incredulously, his accent suggesting a New-Yorker origin, "Your mum's been goin' crazy with worry about you, I skipped Uni to help look for you… Then I had to go with the Decepticons and when I found you there…? Damn, Ayden, I thought you were a goner for sure!" he floundered helplessly for a few moments, "Don't ever do that again!"

"Get kidnapped by metal maniacs?" Ayden asked with raised eyebrows, "Not exactly my fault." The teenager laughed slightly in sheer relief and continued to hold him close.

The boy sighed. "Just be careful," he grumbled.

"So, are you a Decepticon," Ayden wanted to know, pulling away slightly to look him in the eyes properly. The whole room was focused on their conversation now, interested. Everything was very quiet

"I'm not a Decepticon," Zeb said slowly.

"But you're the 'Decepticon pretender' I'm supposed to have contact with? Was that why I was taken?"

"I think so," Zeb sighed, hating to admit it but having no real choice. "But the thing is, Ay, that's also the reason you were allowed to live, if you remember correctly."

And she did. Ayden couldn't forget the strange feeling inside that compartment before. She'd heard everything so very clearly. She remembered hearing that she should be kept alive because of the contact she had with a Decepticon. "What are you now, then?" she wanted to know.

"Neutral, dammit," Zeb replied, his honey-gold eyes revealing little of his emotions as he explained, "I was a Decepticon when I landed on earth, but…" he sighed when he realised she didn't believe him, "Ayden, you showed me what it's like to be human, and I guess it had more of an effect than I originally intended." He stared at her earnestly, "I stopped being a Decepticon when I became friends with you and I'm not going back. Not ever."

"How do I know that's true?" Ayden replied, stepping away with a scowl on her face.

"Ayden –"

"Zeb, if you lied once you'll lie again," Ayden pointed out, "I can't trust you any more,"

Zeb sighed and looked away, allowing his human façade to drop away to reveal a silver humanoid robot. He looked back at Ayden again; his optics yellow.

"Believe me now?" he asked.

Ayden was shocked. She blinked and reached forwards, lightly touching the cool metal that now stood where her best friend had been. Just then, she noticed a light scar in the otherwise flawless silver. She ran her finger along it and whispered, "What happened?"  
A new voice spoke now. Major Lennox had left Bailey and Maple's bedsides and was now standing beside Zeb. "He nearly died, Ayden. To save us, he nearly died." The teen didn't reply to this, she merely listened intently. "I found him on the battlefield. He told me everything that happened…"

The Major's explanation didn't take long. The room was in utter silence as he spoke, shocked. For what seemed like an eternity, nobody said anything after that. Zeb transformed back into his human form and looked awkwardly at his friend. Ayden blinked and then hugged him tightly, "I can't believe it… You nearly died?"

"So did you," Zeb pointed out holding her close.

"Yeah, well…" Ayden said with a small smile. "We didn't."

At that moment, they all realised the truth. They were all still alive and still strong. They'd been pushed to breaking point, certainly, but they were together, and alive. That was all that mattered.


End file.
